U.S. patent application number 13/133273 was filed with the patent office on 2011-09-29 for coating for iced or glazed frozen food products.
This patent application is currently assigned to MANTROSE-HAUESER COMPANY, INC.. Invention is credited to Xiangdong Gan, Bin Zhong.
Application Number | 20110236537 13/133273 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42243042 |
Filed Date | 2011-09-29 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110236537 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Zhong; Bin ; et al. |
September 29, 2011 |
Coating for Iced or Glazed Frozen Food Products
Abstract
The gloss of iced frozen baked goods once thawed, is enhanced by
coating the baked goods with shellac prior to freezing.
Inventors: |
Zhong; Bin; (North
Attleboro, MA) ; Gan; Xiangdong; (Franklin,
MA) |
Assignee: |
MANTROSE-HAUESER COMPANY,
INC.
Attleboro
MA
|
Family ID: |
42243042 |
Appl. No.: |
13/133273 |
Filed: |
December 7, 2009 |
PCT Filed: |
December 7, 2009 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/US09/66916 |
371 Date: |
June 7, 2011 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61120534 |
Dec 8, 2008 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
426/100 ;
426/302; 426/89 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A21D 15/02 20130101;
A21D 13/24 20170101; A21D 13/60 20170101; A23P 20/105 20160801;
A23P 20/10 20160801; A21D 13/28 20170101; A23G 3/343 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
426/100 ; 426/89;
426/302 |
International
Class: |
A23G 3/54 20060101
A23G003/54 |
Claims
1. A frozen food product exhibiting enhanced surface gloss when
thawed comprising a food substrate, a sweetened edible coating on
the food substrate, and a coating of an edible, ethanol soluble,
glossy film forming material on the sweetened edible coating.
2. The frozen food product of claim 1, wherein the edible, ethanol
soluble, glossy film forming material is shellac, zein, or a
mixture thereof.
3. The frozen food product of claim 2, wherein the food substrate
is a bakery product.
4. The frozen food product of claim 3, wherein the food substrate
is a donut.
5. The frozen food product of claim 4, wherein the sweetened edible
coating is a sweetened glaze.
6. The frozen food product of claim 4, wherein the sweetened edible
coating is a frosting.
7. The frozen food product of claim 2, wherein the edible, ethanol
soluble, glossy film forming material is applied directly to the
sweetened edible coating.
8. The frozen food product of claim 1, wherein the shellac coating
is folined from dewaxed orange shellac, regular bleached shellac or
refined bleached shellac.
9. The frozen food product of claim 8, wherein the shellac coating
is founed from refined bleached shellac.
10. The frozen food product of claim 9, wherein the shellac coating
is fonned from an ethanol solution of shellac.
11. The frozen food product of claim 8, wherein the shellac coating
is formed from an ethanol solution of shellac.
12. The thawed frozen food product produced by allowing the frozen
food product of claim 11 to thaw to room temperature.
13. The thawed frozen food product produced by allowing the frozen
food product of claim 8 to thaw to room temperature.
14. The thawed frozen food product produced by allowing the frozen
food product of claim 2 to thaw to room temperature.
15. The thawed frozen food product produced by allowing the frozen
food product of claim 1 to thaw to room temperature.
16. A process for increasing the gloss exhibited by a frozen food
product after the frozen food product is thawed, the frozen food
product comprising a food substrate and a sweetened edible coating
on the food substrate, the process comprising coating the sweetened
edible coating with an edible, ethanol soluble, glossy film fowling
material before freezing.
17. The process of claim 16, wherein the edible, ethanol soluble,
glossy film forming material is shellac, zein or a mixture thereof,
and further wherein the food substrate is a bakery product.
18. The process of claim 17, wherein the edible, ethanol soluble,
glossy film forming material is shellac, and further wherein the
food substrate is a donut.
19. The process of claim 18, wherein the sweetened edible coating
is a sweetened glaze.
20. The process of claim 18, wherein the sweetened edible coating
is a frosting.
21. A package of frozen donuts comprising a freeze-resistant
container and one or more frozen donuts in the container, each
donut comprising a donut, a sweetened edible coating on the donut,
and a coating of an edible, ethanol soluble, glossy film forming
material on the sweetened edible coating.
22. The package of frozen donuts of claim 21, wherein the package
contains 21 or less donuts.
23. The package of frozen donuts of claim 21, wherein the package
contains 100 or more donuts.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Patent Application Ser. No. 61/120,534, entitled "COATING FOR ICED
OR GLAZED FROZEN FOOD PRODUCTS" and filed Dec. 8, 2008, the entire
contents of both of which are incorporated herein by reference, to
the extent that they are not conflicting with the present
application.
FIELD OF INVENTION
[0002] This invention relates to iced, glazed or frosted frozen
food products that retain their gloss or shine when thawed.
BACKGROUND
[0003] In addition to yeast dough doughnuts, a number of other
frozen food products, particularly frozen bakery products, carry an
external layer of an icing, frosting or sweetened glaze ("iced
frozen food products"). These include cakes, cookies, cake dough
doughnuts, pastries, muffins, etc. When such iced frozen food
products are thawed, either by exposure to microwaves or ambient or
slightly elevated temperatures, the icing, frosting or glaze loses
its shine or gloss within a few hours or days, thereby making the
thawed product appear less fresh to the consumer.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] In accordance with this invention, this reduction in gloss
is eliminated or at least substantially reduced by coating the
product prior to freezing with an edible, ethanol soluble, glossy
film forming material such as shellac and/or zein.
[0005] Accordingly, this invention provides a frozen food product
exhibiting enhanced surface gloss when thawed, this frozen food
product comprising a food substrate, a sweetened edible coating on
the food substrate, and a coating of an edible, ethanol soluble,
glossy film forming material on the sweetened edible coating.
[0006] In addition, this invention also provides a thawed frozen
food product produced by allowing the above frozen food product to
thaw to room temperature.
[0007] Furthermore, this invention also provides a process for
increasing the gloss exhibited by a frozen food product after it is
thawed, the frozen food product comprising a food substrate and a
sweetened edible coating on the food substrate, this process
comprising coating the sweetened edible coating with an edible,
ethanol soluble, glossy film forming material before freezing.
[0008] Still further, this invention also provides a package of one
or more frozen donuts comprising a freezer stable container and at
least one donut in the container, each frozen donut comprising a
donut, a sweetened edible coating on the donut, and a coating of an
edible, ethanol soluble, glossy film forming material on the
sweetened edible coating.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] This invention may be more readily understood by reference
to the following drawings wherein:
[0010] FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2A and 2B are photographs illustrating the
results obtained in the following working Examples 1 and 2, these
results demonstrating the effect of freezing and thawing on the
surface gloss of iced donuts treated in accordance with this
invention relative to otherwise identical untreated control donuts;
and
[0011] FIGS. 3A-F, 4A-F and 5A-F are photographs similar to FIGS.
1A, 1B, 2A and 2B illustrating the results obtained in the
following working Examples 3 to 5.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Iced Frozen Food Products
[0012] This invention is applicable to any frozen food product
which carries a coating or surface layer formed from an icing,
frosting or sweetened glaze ("iced frozen food product"). Most
commonly, it will be applied to donuts, both yeast dough donuts and
cake dough donuts, although it can also be used with equal
advantage on muffins, cookies, cakes, pastries, and other bakery
products.
[0013] Iced frozen food products are becoming increasingly popular.
Typically, they are mass-produced in a central factory location
where they are immediately frozen to a suitable temperature,
typically -20.degree. C., before or after packaging, and then
shipped to the customer. In some instances, these products are
marketed as convenience foods for thawing by the ultimate consumer.
If so, the products are packaged in freeze-resistant containers
(i.e., containers appropriate for storing frozen foods) of a
consumer-convenient size, i.e., in a quantity convenient for the
ultimate customer to use at home such as for example in packages of
21 or less, 12 or less, 6 or less, 5 or less or even individually,
and sold through supermarkets to the ultimate consumer who stores
them in a home freezer and then thaws them when needed. In other
instances, these products are packaged and marketed in bulk to
restaurants and other commercial establishments. If so, the
products are packaged in freeze-resistant containers of industrial
size, i.e., in a quantity convenient for storage and handling by
commercial establishments such as for example in packages of 25 or
more, 50 or more or even 75 or more, but more commonly on the order
of 100, 500 or even 1000 or more, for storage in bulk in industrial
freezers and then thawing as needed for serving to ultimate
consumers. In both cases, the frozen food products are stored at
temperatures commonly found in home and industrial freezers, which
can range anywhere from -5.degree. C. or less, but are typically on
the order of -10.degree. to -30.degree. C.
[0014] Iced frozen food products are typically made by coating the
underlying food product ("food substrate") with a layer of an
icing, frosting or sweetened glaze (collectively: "sweetened edible
coating") prior to freezing for adding extra nutrition, flavor,
color, taste, appearance, etc. "Icing" and "frosting" refer to
fat-containing compositions which, when applied to food products
and dried, produce spreadable, self-supporting, sweetened coatings.
"Spreadable" in this context means that the mixture can be easily
spread into a thin, relatively uniform coating with a spatula or
knife, while "self-supporting" in this context means that the shape
of this coating once applied will not change due to gravity.
"Icing" and "frosting" are synonymous in this disclosure, and so
the following description refers only to "frosting" for
convenience. A "sweetened glaze" in the context of this disclosure
refers to an essentially fat-free coating composition which, when
applied to a food product and dried, produces an
essentially-hardened, sweetened coating. "Essentially-hardened" in
this context means that the glaze coating once applied and dried
cannot be spread with a spatula or knife. Also, "frozen" as used in
this disclosure in connection with a "frozen food product" means
that the temperature of the product is at or below the freezing
point of water, 0.degree. C. Meanwhile, "thawed" as used in this
disclosure in connection with a "thawed frozen food product" means
that the temperature of the product is above the freezing point of
water after the product has been previously frozen.
[0015] Both sweetened glazes and frostings include sweeteners and
sufficient water to form a liquid or spreadable composition.
Sweeteners commonly used for this purpose include
naturally-occurring sugars such as sucrose, fructose, dextrose,
maltose, lactose, corn syrup, corn syrup solids, high fructose corn
syrup, invert sugar, and a sugar-starch grind of a crystalline
sweetener mixed with a starch. Artificial sweeteners such as sugar
alcohols, e.g., maltitol, sorbitol, glycerin, isomalt, erythritol,
mannitol, xylitol, lactitol, hydrogenated starch hydrosylates,
tagatose, trehalose and combinations thereof, can also be used.
[0016] In addition to sweeteners, frostings also contain fats.
Suitable fats for this purpose include shortenings, such as
partially hydrogenated soybean oils, partially hydrogenated
cottonseed oils, and combinations thereof. Additionally or
alternatively, other solid or liquid oils such as palm oil, palm
kernel oil, peanut oil, corn oil, coconut oil, sunflower oil,
canola oil, safflower oil, butter, and animal fats, such as lard
and tallow, and combinations thereof, can be used. Trans-free fats
(fats having trans fat levels of less than 0.5 grams per serving)
may also be used.
[0017] Frostings can be regarded as falling into two different
categories, non-chocolate frostings and chocolate-based frostings.
Chocolate already contains a not-insignificant amount of fat, and
so chocolate-based frostings are typically formulated with less
added fat than non-chocolate frostings.
[0018] In addition to sweeteners, fats and water, frostings
typically contain a variety of additional ingredients for
controlling and/or improving taste, color, texture and "feel"
(i.e., viscosity and rheology). For example, frostings typically
contain natural and/or artificial flavorants such as vanilla,
chocolate liquor, fudge, fruit flavors, chocolate, milk chocolate,
coconut, pecan, lemon, cream cheese, French vanilla, chocolate
cream cheese, strawberry, walnut, almond, and so forth, and
combinations thereof, for enhancing taste. In addition, they also
often contain conventional food coloring agents and/or pigments for
improving appearance. Some of these flavorants, coloring agents and
pigments may also be found in sweetened glazes.
[0019] Frostings also can contain one or more of rheology control
agents such as emulsifiers, polysaccharide gums and modified
starches and for enhancing the viscosity/rheology of the frosting
product. Suitable emulsifiers for this purpose include mono- and
diglycerides, polysorbate 60, polysorbate 80, sodium caseinate,
sodium stearyl lactylate, diacetyl tartaric acid esters of mono-and
diglycerides (DATEM), propylene glycol monostearate, polyglycerol
esters of fatty acids, and combinations thereof. Suitable
polysaccharide gums include xanthan gum, gum agar, guar gum, locust
bean gum, tragacanth, karaya, hydroxypropylcellulose,
methylcellulose, pectin, alginates, and combinations thereof.
Modified starches are widely used in foods as thickening and
stabilizing agents and are prepared by partially degrading starch
or starch granules to increase their stability against excessive
heat, acid, and/or freezing, or to change their texture, and/or or
to lengthen or shorten gelatinization time.
[0020] Specific frosting recipes that have been used commercially
and by ultimate consumers include:
[0021] 1. Chocolate Glaze Frosting [0022] 3/4 cup semisweet
chocolate chips [0023] 3 tablespoons butter [0024] 1 tablespoon
light corn syrup [0025] 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
[0026] In a double boiler over hot, but not boiling water, combine
chocolate chips, butter and corn syrup. Stir until chips are melted
and mixture is smooth, then add vanilla. Spread warm glaze over top
cake, letting it drizzle down the sides.
[0027] 2. Chocolate Glaze Frosting [0028] 1 (14 oz.) can sweetened
condensed milk [0029] tablespoon water [0030] 1/8 teaspoon salt
[0031] 1 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate [0032] 1/2
teaspoon vanilla extract
[0033] In a double boiler, combine milk, water, salt and chocolate.
Heat, stirring constantly until thick. Remove from heat and allow
to cool. Add vanilla.
[0034] 3. Chocolate Glaze Frosting [0035] 1/2 cup unsalted butter
[0036] 1/4 cup whole milk, warmed [0037] 2 teaspoons vanilla
extract [0038] 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped [0039] 2
cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
[0040] Combine butter, milk, and vanilla in medium saucepan and
heat over medium heat until butter is melted. Decrease the heat to
low, add the chocolate, and whisk until melted. Turn off heat, add
the powdered sugar, and whisk until smooth. Place the mixture over
a bowl of warm water and dip the doughnuts immediately. Allow glaze
to set for 30 minutes before serving. [0041] 4. Chocolate Fudge
Icing [0042] 1 stick butter [0043] 1/2 c. cocoa [0044] 1/3 c. milk
[0045] 1 lb. powdered sugar [0046] 1 tablespoon vanilla
[0047] Melt butter, add cocoa and boil 1 minute. Add remaining
ingredients and beat until smooth. Spread while warm.
[0048] 5. Donut Glaze Icing [0049] 1/4 cup whole milk [0050] 1
teaspoon vanilla extract [0051] 2 cups confectioners' sugar
[0052] Combine milk and vanilla in a medium saucepan and heat over
low heat until warm. Sift confectioners' sugar into milk mixture.
Whisk slowly, until well combined. Remove the glaze from the heat
and set over a bowl of warm water. Dip doughnut into the glaze, one
at a time, and set on a draining rack placed in a half sheet pan
for 5 minutes before serving.
[0053] 6. Donut Frosting [0054] 1/4 cup solid vegetable shortening
[0055] 1/4 butter or margarine [0056] 1/2 teaspoon clear vanilla
extract
[0057] 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
[0058] 1 tablespoon milk
[0059] Cream butter and shortening, gradually add sugar 1/2 cup at
a time. Add milk and vanilla, beat until light and fluffy. Will
keep for 2 weeks in airtight, refrigerated container.
[0060] 7. Donut Glaze [0061] 2 cups powdered sugar [0062] 1
teaspoon mapleine [0063] Water
[0064] Add enough water to make frosting thick enough to spread.
Spread while warm.
[0065] As can be seen from the above recipes, it is not uncommon
for two or more ingredients used in a particular frosting formula
to be supplied together from a common source. For example,
semisweet chocolate chips supply both flavorant and sweetener,
while sweetened condensed milk and corn syrup each supply both
sweetener and water.
[0066] As indicated above, a common problem associated with glazed
frozen food products is that the frosting coating loses its shine
or gloss within a few hours or days after being thawed. This, in
turn, makes the thawed iced food product appear less fresh to the
consumer. This phenomenon is illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B, which
are photographs taken of the frosting-coated donuts described more
thoroughly in the following working Example 1, these photographs
being taken before freezing (FIG. 1 A) and then again after
freezing followed by thawing for 30 minutes (FIG. 1 B). The upper
two donuts in both FIGS. 1 A and 1 B are control donuts
representing the prior art, i.e., these frosted donuts were not
coated with shellac in accordance with this invention. By comparing
these control donuts before freezing (FIG. 1 A) with the same
donuts after freezing (FIG. 1 B), it can be seen that
freeze/thawing significantly reduce the gloss of the frostings on
these particular donuts.
[0067] In accordance with this invention, this problem is
eliminated or at least substantially reduced by coating the donuts,
before freezing, with an edible, ethanol soluble, glossy film
forming material ("glossy film former") such as shellac, zein or a
mixture of both.
Edible, Glossy, Film Coating
[0068] Shellac has been used as a coating for a variety of
products, including food products, for many years. For example,
shellac has been used for many years as a glazing agent for
confections such as chocolate covered raisins, chocolate covered
nuts, gum balls, jelly beans, etc. In addition, shellac has also
been used for many years as a protective coating and glaze for
vitamins, tablets, various time-release preparations, and various
fruits such as apples and the like, both whole and in sections. In
addition, many patents and other publications describe using
shellac as a glazing agent for a variety of different food
products, including donuts. See, for example, the background
section of U.S. Pat. No. 6,869,628 as well as Paragraph [0006] of
U.S. 2004/0096548. However, prior to this invention, shellac has
not been used (or described as useful) as a coating for preventing
or retarding the reduction in gloss that normally occurs when
sweetened glazes or frostings are frozen and then subsequently
thawed.
[0069] Shellac is a naturally occurring theimoplastic obtained from
secretions of the female lac bug. It exhibits a remarkable
combination of properties making it an ideal food packaging
material, these properties including low permeabilities to oxygen,
water vapor, CO.sub.2, ethylene and various odors, low lipid
solubility, excellent color and excellent clarity.
[0070] Commercially, shellac is obtained from seedlac, an insect
secretion, by removing debris from the seedlac and then dissolving
the cleaned seedlac in aqueous alkali or alcohol. If desired, the
extracted shellac can be dewaxed, bleached or both. See, col. 2,
line 47 to col. 3, line 6 of U.S. Pat. No. 6,348,217 for a more
thorough description of this process. All four of these products,
i.e., orange shellac, dewaxed orange shellac, regular bleached
shellac ("waxy white shellac" in Europe) and refined bleached
shellac, are available commercially in a variety of different forms
including dry, solid form, aqueous solution, and alcohol solution
normally dissolved in ethanol as the solvent.
[0071] To make storage and transportation easier, shellac coatings
are often formulated commercially from dried, solid shellac. For
this purpose, the shellac can be dissolved in aqueous alkaline
solution, dispersed in neutral or slightly acidic water using a
suitable dispersing agent, or dissolved in an appropriate food
grade organic solvent such as an alcohol or the like, particularly
ethanol. In this connection, see U.S. Pat. No. 5,523,039
(especially the Background section) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,348,217.
The entire disclosures of both of these patents are incorporated
herein by reference.
[0072] Any of the shellac-containing liquids described above can be
used as the shellac coating compositions of this invention. Organic
based compositions, especially those in which the shellac is
dissolved in a suitable food grade solvent such as an alcohol and
especially ethanol, are especially interesting.
[0073] It is also common practice in industry to include various
adjuncts to shellac coating compositions to modify/improve various
properties. Examples of such adjuvants include medium chain
triglycerides, vegetable oils, acetylated monoglycerides, propylene
glycol and polyethylene glycol (PEG). Any such adjuvant can be used
in this invention, provided it is accepted for food-grade use.
[0074] Another edible, ethanol soluble, film forming material that
can be used to provide freeze-resistant glossy protective coatings
in accordance with this invention is zein. Zein is a class of
prolamine proteins found in maize. It is usually manufactured as a
powder from corn gluten meal. In its pure form, zein is clear,
odorless, tasteless, hard, water-insoluble, and edible, like
shellac. It is useful as a coating for candy, nuts, fruit, bakery
products, pills, and other encapsulated foods and drugs. It is
classified as GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) by the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration.
[0075] In addition to shellac and zein, any other material which is
edible, soluble in ethanol and which dries from an ethanol solution
to form a glossy film can be used to provide the freeze-resistant
glossy protective coatings of this invention. In this context,
"soluble in ethanol" means that the solubility of the material in
ethanol is at least about 10 grams per liter.
[0076] The amount of glossy film former applied to the iced food
product being treated in accordance with this invention can vary
widely, and essentially any amount can be used. Generally, the
amount used should be enough to provide a noticeable improvement in
the gloss of the iced food product before freezing. In other words,
if the amount of glossy film former applied to the sweetened glaze
or frosting coating is enough to develop a noticeable improvement
in its gloss before the iced food product is frozen, then this
amount is also generally sufficient to prevent or at least
substantially retard the reduction in gloss of this sweetened glaze
or frosting that would otherwise occur as a result of freezing and
thawing in the absence of this shellac coating.
[0077] In a preferred embodiment of the invention in which an
alcohol solution of shellac is applied to iced donuts, it has been
found appropriate to dissolve 3 to 4 pounds of solid particulate
shellac in one gallon of alcohol and then apply about 0.05 to 5.0
gms, preferably about 0.08 to 2.0 gms, or even about 0.1 to 1.0
grams of this solution to each donut of conventional size (e.g.,
toroid having an outside diameter of about 7-11 cm and an inside
diameter of about 1.5-3 cm). Corresponding amounts of shellac can
be applied to other bakery products, while corresponding amounts of
zein and other edible, ethanol soluble, glossy film forming
materials can be applied to all of these bakery products including
donuts.
[0078] The glossy film former of this invention can be applied to
the glazed or frosting coated food products of this invention
anytime before freezing, including days or even weeks before
freezing. For convenience, however, the lead time between
application of the glossy film former and onset of freezing will be
normally be far shorter, typically about 0.5 minute to 1 hour,
about 1 to 30 minutes, or even about 2-15 minutes, since this is
normally long enough to enable the applied shellac coating to
substantially dry before freezing.
Intermediate Coating
[0079] Normally, the glossy film foimer of this invention is
directly applied to the sweetened edible coating of the food
product being treated. In some embodiments, however, it may be
beneficial to first apply an intermediate protective layer to the
sweetened edible coating before applying the glossy film former.
For example, if the sweetened edible coating is especially soluble
in ethanol, it may be desirable to first apply an intermediate
protective layer having limited solubility in ethanol in order to
minimize migration of ethanol into the sweetened edible coating
from an ethanol solution of the subsequently applied glossy film
former. Examples of suitable materials that can be used for
providing such intermediate protective layers include water-based
starch coatings, various water-based gums, food grade wax dispersed
in vegetable oil, etc.
EXAMPLES
[0080] In order to more thoroughly illustrate this invention, the
following working examples are presented:
Example 1
[0081] The following procedure was used to compare the gloss formed
on frosting coated donuts treated in accordance with this invention
with otherwise identical control donuts not treated in accordance
with this invention, both before freezing and after thawing. The
particular donuts used in this example were plain cake donuts
obtained from a Dunkin' Donuts retail store, while the frosting
used was a white glaze commercially available frosting obtained
from Dawn Foods Products, Inc. of Denver, Colo. [0082] Heat the
donuts in an oven at a 65.degree. C. for 30 min. [0083] After
removing the donuts from the oven, coating the donuts with
approximately 15 to 18 grams frosting per donut by pouring the
frosting (heated to 25.degree. C. in a water bath) over the donuts.
[0084] Allowing the frosting to dry for 40 min. at room
temperature. [0085] Spray coating the dried frosting with about 0.5
grams per donut of a commercially available shellac solution (3.2#
cut Crystalac I obtained from Mantrose-Hauser of Westport, Conn.,
which is a mixture of refined bleached shellac and a small amount
of vegetable oil dissolved in ethanol) [0086] Allowing the shellac
coating to dry at room temperature for about 2.5 min. [0087]
Freezing the donuts by placing the donuts in a freezer for 30 min.
at -20.degree. C. [0088] Removing the donuts from the freezer and
allowing them to thaw at ambient temperature for 30 min.
[0089] FIG. 1A is a photograph taken of these donuts before
freezing. The two donuts in the lower portion of FIG. 1A were
coated with shellac in accordance with this invention. The two
donuts in the upper portion of FIG. 1A are controls, which were not
treated with shellac in accordance with this invention. As can be
seen from FIG. 1A, the donuts treated with shellac in accordance
with this invention, before freezing, exhibited a noticeably
greater gloss than the untreated control donuts.
[0090] FIG. 1B is a photograph taken of these donuts after freezing
and thawing. As can be seen from this photograph, the two donuts in
the lower portion of this photograph which had been coated with
shellac in accordance with this invention exhibited a high gloss
essentially the same as the gloss exhibited by these same donuts
before freezing (FIG. 1A). On the other hand, the two control
donuts in the upper portion of this same photograph which had not
been coated with shellac exhibited less gloss than those of the
inventive donuts in the lower portion of this same photograph and,
in addition, less gloss than these same donuts before freezing
(upper donuts in FIG. 1A). This shows that that, while
freeze/thawing had essentially no effect on the gloss of the
shellac-coated donuts made in accordance with this invention, it
imparted a noticeable reduction to the gloss of the untreated
control donuts.
Example 2
[0091] Example 1 was repeated except that the particular frosting
used was a Chocolate Icing commercially available from Dawn Foods
Products. The results obtained are illustrate in FIGS. 2A and 2B.
As in the case of Example 1 and FIGS. 1A and 1B, FIGS. 2A and 2B
also show that freeze/thawing reduced the gloss of the untreated
control donuts but did not reduce the gloss of the shellac-coated
donuts made in accordance with this invention.
Example 3
[0092] Example 1 was repeated except that the particular donuts
used were preglazed cake donuts carrying a conventional sugar glaze
obtained from Dunkin' Donuts. In addition, these donuts were
allowed to thaw for a total of 4,110 minutes (68.5 hours), with the
results obtained being observed at certain intervals during that
period, in particular at 30, 60, 90, 150, 1230 and 4,110 minutes
after initiation of thawing. The results obtained are illustrated
in the photographs of FIGS. 3A-F.
[0093] As can be seen from these photographs, the gloss of the
control donuts (the upper donuts in all photograph) was noticeably
less than the gloss of the donuts made in accordance with this
invention (the lower donuts in all photographs) in all cases. More
significantly, the gloss of the control samples became
progressively worse over time whereas the gloss of the samples made
in accordance with this invention remained essentially same from
over the entire 68.5 hour time period of the test. These results
show that, while freeze/thawing does not adversely affect the gloss
of the shellac-coated donuts made in accordance with this
invention, it does indeed did adversely affect the gloss of the
untreated control samples. In addition, these results further shows
that this adverse effect gets progressively worse as time goes on
which, in turn, suggests that the advantage provided by this
invention--maintenance of superior gloss over time in a thawed,
previously frozen iced food product--may become even more
pronounced over time.
Example 4
[0094] Example 3 was repeated except that the particular donuts
used were chocolate flavored cake-type donuts coated with a
chocolate frosting. The results obtained are illustrated in the
photographs attached as FIGS. 4A-F. As can be seen from these
photographs, the same results were achieved as were obtained in
Example 3, i.e., freeze/thawing did not adversely affect the gloss
of the shellac-coated donuts made in accordance with this invention
but did adversely affect the gloss of the untreated control
samples, this adverse effect getting progressively worse with
time.
Example 5
[0095] Example 3 was repeated except that a maple flavored frosting
was used. FIGS. 5A-F, which are photographs of the results
obtained, also show that freeze/thawing did not adversely affect
the gloss of the shellac-coated donuts made in accordance with this
invention but did adversely affect the gloss of the untreated
control samples, this adverse effect getting progressively worse
with time.
[0096] Although only a few embodiments of this invention have been
described above, it should be appreciated that many modifications
can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the
invention. All such modifications are to be included within the
scope of this invention, which is to be limited only by the
following claims:
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